Category Archives: I Ching

Why This, Why Me, and Why NOW? 

Much to my surprise, The Way of the Sage went its own way.  

Much of what I originally intended to say was left unsaid.  

For example, I planned to follow through on my earlier invitation to Sage Robbins.  

In an Open Letter to Tony Robbins, I observed that the not-coincidental pun on his wife’s name nominates her as the logical and ideal person to try out and report back to him on the validity and benefits associated with this ancient, tried and true, universal method of decision-making – the book accurately described The Ultimate Personal Survival Guide. 

I intended to tell her that the Common Sense Book of Change is intentionally free of the usual elitist and gender assumptions (“the superior man”). No one is excluded from the opportunity to be truly noble, genuinely wise. 

I wanted to tell her that this small book makes timeless wisdom available to truth seekers — whomever, wherever — free of distortions. There’s no overlay of cultural bias. For this ancient wisdom treasure is, in its essence, timeless. Universal.  

I intended to appeal to her natural, maternal instinct to educate and protect our children, now and into the future. I would have invited her to join me in giving this small book to the world as living proof that women too have the potential to become peaceful warriors as well as sages. 

But, as I said, The Way of the Sage took a detour. Immediately after publishing it, however, I became aware that it was just the first installment.  

Overnight, I received the content of a second installment. Again, it didn’t include the originally outlined facts and details. Instead, something else, equally unexpected, emerged.  

This time, I was called to explain these Three Whys.  

  • Why this subject?  
  • Why me? Why am I the right person to address it? And  
  • Why this subject and me NOW?  

The Three Why’s aren’t necessarily separate. They seem to blend and interact. I’ll do my best, as briefly as possible, to sort it out for you. 

——————————————————— 

WHY THIS? 

As stated earlier: 

What I’ve been given in trust to share with the world is a re-vision of timeless wisdom, clear and simple in form, suited to the needs of the times.  

The form is two-part, consisting of a mutually reinforcing map and a manual. One is an overview, a snapshot of quantum reality. The other, with good reason, has been called The Ultimate Personal Survival Guide.   

For many reasons, some explained below, the future ahead is going to be majorly unfamiliar. However positive pending changes will ultimately prove to be, at the onset they’ll be perceived by most to be fearful and threatening.  

In that context, the Sage’s Way of Wisdom – embodied in the combo of the quantum Life Wheel and the Book of Change, are going to be the resources we can turn to and depend upon. They’ll guide those open to change, helping them travel safely through the challenges of a global shift, one day and one situation at a time, so they don’t crash and burn, don’t fall victim to cultural shock.  

These wisdom tools offer the option to see changing times as the rare and precious opportunity they are to practice the Phoenix Response to change: to die to the old in order to be reborn into something new and better in the same lifetime. 

In combination, this map and manual hold the answers to humanity’s collective prayers for: 

  • Truth.  
  • Freedom, first within, then without.  
  • Peace, first within, then without.   
  • Harmony and health.   
  • Loving, supportive relationships at home, in the community, and in the world.   
  • An end to confusion, conflict and corruption.  
  • An understanding of how the world really works.  
  • A return to simplicity and goodness.   

And there’s more. So much more. Even the legendary Confucius, accomplished as he was, wished for an additional 75 years of life in order to study and increase his understanding of this endlessly profound science. 

Among many other things, the I Ching works like a cosmic clock. It forewarns of danger and nurtures the inner strength to cope with and outlast inevitable shocks and adversity. 

Supporting commentary could easily be supplied, but this short post isn’t the place. For now, Trust me. It’s true. It’s all true.   

As for the complimentary quantum Life Wheel, although apparently simple, it satisfies the inclusive standard of Occam’s Razor. Its implications are universal. Its applications are endless. Here’s just one suggestive example: 

————————————————————— 

WHY ME? 

Long story short, my life has been a wandering path that has, over time, seeming miraculously, as if all were preordained, given me access to the broad range of information that had to be integrated. I’ve been uniquely called to collect the mosaic pieces of various wisdom traditions and intuitively known how they fit together, forming the unified picture presented here.  

Again, this isn’t the place to go into scholarly detail. For now, please trust me.  

But why the physical me? So many reasons, it couldn’t have been anyone else. It’s not just my name which, like Sage’s, nominates me for the role. It had to be West. I’ve been cautioned not to lose myself in eastern traditions, but rather to serve as a bridge, to integrate them into western civilization.  

And it had to be my gender. Women are the ones for whom the system works least. They’re the ones most qualified to address its blind spots and serve as change agents — of necessity, to be “the early adaptive.” More importantly, my gentle yin nature — my persona – speaks to the crying need to restore respect for the receptive, nurturing yin qualities of human nature, lacking which our civilization has degenerated into its current condition of critical mass. 

As for scholarly qualifications, I spoke to this in The Qualification That Matters. 

On the one hand, does it really matter who the messenger is? It’s the message that counts. If the truth of what I say resonates and the results work for you, the message speaks for itself. It stands on its own merit.  

On the other hand, if you really believe that the messenger matters, then truth be told, the best of what I know comes from personal experience.  

Which isn’t to say I haven’t paid my dues. I’ve earned the traditional academic credentials to string behind my name. (B.A. in history and philosophy from Oberlin College. M.A. in English and Ph.D.in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.)   

But in this light, they don’t much matter. In fact, most of what I learned in schools later had to be unlearned. 

The qualification that genuinely matters here is that I have a good teacher. A really, really good teacher. And that we have your best interests at heart. 

The one we called Old Avatar was a uniquely advanced soul. Lao Tze best describes his vast, but subtle influence. “The presence of true masters is only suspected.” His Universal Mind permeates the quantum field. Those open to his magic respond and all is done. Truth seekers automatically tune in to him, broadcasting from the far side — Tony Robbins included. 

Tony Robbins and I are connected through OA.  It works both ways. I was attracted to Tony’s Awaken the Giant Within. This website was, in fact, inspired by his challenge. Conversely, much of what Tony teaches reflects how well he’s tuned into OA. For example, OA’s MPI standard permeates his work.  

—————————————- 

WHY NOW? 

Long story short, astrologically, the times are ripe and ready. Without going into technical detail, suffice it to say that planet Earth is approaching a time of massive change. Where before, things weren’t possible, they’re quickly becoming inevitable. 

As described in Wheels Within Wheels, we’re in the midst of an extraordinarily rare triple conjunction that last occurred 2,300 years ago. It was marked by the massive economic and cultural shifts that followed from the conquests of Alexander the Great. It’s that huge. 

We’re at critical mass. I, along with others born for such a time as this (including General Michael Flynn and Patrick Byrne), are doing our best to avert a destructive civil war intentionally being provoked by dark side minions. Were they to prevail, it would take civilization back to the dark ages.  

We’ve long been forewarned. Astrologically, the ongoing Saturn-Uranus square [exacerbated by the conflict-creating Pluto-Eris square] culminates in the weeks approaching U.S. mid-term elections. This escalating tension is scheduled to be topped off by a kinetic full moon lunar eclipse that occurs – I kid you not — exactly on that date – November 8, 2022.  

Using this foresight in combination with wisdom tools, we can steer our planning and behavior. We have the ability, potential, opportunity — actually a divine calling — to collectively tip the balance in favor of world peace.  

Let’s choose life. Let’s choose the Way of the Sage: respecting all of life and practicing peace, first within, then without.  

So much to say. So little time. So little space.  

But for now, until the next time, be well. All best.  

Patricia West is author of The Common Sense Book of Change and Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change. She’s currently working on The Phoenix Response: Dying To Be Reborn – in the Same Lifetime. 

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Open Letter to Tony Robbins 

Dear Tony, 

During the past week, something unpleasantly strange and highly unusual happened on your Tony Robbins YouTube channel. 

In this open letter, I’ll tell you what happened, why it upset me so much, and – most importantly — the reasons why not only you but your followers really need to know about it. 

It started on Monday, August 1st, when I watched your interview with Ray Dalio on the Changing World Order, how countries rise and fall, and what the cycles of history can teach us now. The description box included your words,  

“Power comes to those that can recognize patterns.” 

Now, I’ve been saying exactly this for a very long time. The subject is dear to my heart. Naturally, I immediately wanted to know your point of view. 

As I listened, I was on fire. I paused to enter one, two, three, four and then five comments.  

Next began a sequence of events. First, all but one of the five comments disappeared. Then, a message with your name on it, in your channel, was pinned to my one remaining comment. 

 In a nutshell, (though it took a day to recognize it), a punitive hacker with ulterior motives is policing your channel.  

The pinned reply with your name – Tony Robbins – gave a phone number for me to call.  

What appeared in my email looked like this: Pinned Tony Robbin十l{7O7}86IO5l4 replied to Pat West’s comment.   

Pinned Tony Robbin十l{7O7}86IO5l4  

msg me directly,⤴️ 

My first response was to be Thrilled!!! 

OMG. Tony Robbins is interested in my comments. He wants to know more!!! This is a dream come true, and with perfect timing.  

Naturally, I quickly responded to what I naively believed was an invitation from Tony himself. The texted conversation, still in my phone, looks like this: 

(Monday, August 1.  7:49 p.m.) 

Me: Hello Tony. This is Pat West. I’m responding to your pinned message. What would you like to speak about? 

X: Hello Pat, nice to have you here. 

Me: Likewise 

X: Before that I’d like to know how long you have been following my channel? 

Me: You’ve been a major influence for many years. My website was based on reading your Giants within. Have been following you ever sense.  

X: Let’s text on my business signal messenger. I have alot I’d like to share with you. You can download signal messenger it’s a private messenger That’s my business line (817) 385-7454. Let me know when you do. 

That’s when things turned south. There was no such app on my phone. I dropped my plans for the next day, intent on getting that app and continuing the conversation. I emailed a friend, explaining the “opportunity” and asking for her help: 

Hi Terry, A most wonderful and amazing opportunity has knocked on my humble door. But it would sure help if you have the time to be of assistance. 

I just remembered the quote I used to conclude a book I wrote. Turns out to be very true: “You can rest assured that if you devote your time and attention to the highest advantage of others, the Universe will support you, always and only in the nick of time.” R. Buckminster Fuller   . . . . And it really is just in the nick. 
 

. . . tonight — which happens to be the exact date of the most powerful energy in 2,300 years — [Tony] pinned an answer to my comment saying to text him. We had a brief exchange. He seemed to like my responses and wants me to continue the conversation in a message app that I do NOT have on my phone and don’t know how to install. 
 

I didn’t hear from her right away. Impatient, I called Quintin, the tech I work with at the Computer Doctors. He wasn’t available. The next morning, not to be defeated, I took a cab to U.S. Cellular. The agent there was helpful, but dubious. Some message apps mess phones up, he warned.  

When I finally heard from Quintin, he showered cold water on my hopes. He sees this kind of scam frequently. It set off all his alarm bells. 

So, once inside the app, I challenged the pseudo-Tony. “Are you for real? I’ve been warned this is a scam. Give me something of substance, or I will delete the app.” 

Silence. App deleted. 

I went from soaring with hope and joy to crashing in embarrassment, disappointment and bewilderment. Why? Why? 

How and WHY would someone hack the Tony Robbins channel? Why would anyone go to the trouble of deleting my comments? Why would an imposter represent himself as Tony and pin a reply to my comment? And why, oh why, would anyone, playing on my dearest hope of connecting with Tony, lure me into loading an app apparently designed to mess up my phone? 

Where’s the method in apparent madness? It took me a while to calm down and sort it out.  

No doubt, it had to do with the substance of my comments.  

Fortunately, I saved them. The one allowed to stand, apparently the one regarded as least offensive, was this: 

The venerable, Chinese I Ching, the Book of Change, has mapped the patterns of Natural Law that influence cycles of human life, organizations and civilizations for thousands of years. This scratches the mere surface of what sages have known for eons. Why not return to the basics? 

[BTW. Had it been the real Tony, I would have pointed out that the not-coincidental pun on his wife’s name, SAGE, makes her the ideal person to try out and report back to him on the validity and benefits associated with this ancient, tried and true, universal method of decision-making – the book accurately described The Ultimate Personal Survival Guide.] 

 

Here’s one of the deleted comments: 

Astrologers have much to say about historical and economic changes. We’ve reached a critical point that’s now occurring for the first time in 2,300 years, the time of Alexander the Great.  See  rethinkingsurvival.com/2022/07/16/heads-up/   

Another was this: 

Tony, you’re asking the right questions of the wrong person. Correctly seen, paradigm shifts are not about 10-year economic trends, but about major shifts in belief systems. Martin Luther, for example. Or Christ. 

As for the China issue, in the future, we must persuade them to return to their roots, their heritage in the I Ching, and a world view where everyone everywhere shares a divine center in common. I will have to write you a post on this. Please look for it on my website, rethinkingsurvival.com. I’ll call it Wheels Within Wheels. 

These last two, however, were probably the seriously offending ones.  

Good Lord, Tony. What’s going on is a paradigm shift, as Kuhn well knew. Powerholders with a vested interest in a dying order are, predictably, defending the deep state like animals backed into a corner. Patriots want peace, not war. It’s the deep state that’s desperately engineering civil war, provoking patriots beyond measure, hoping for excuses to inter them in Nazi-like FEMA camps, exterminate opponents as if to prevent the wave of the future. (The fate of Jan 6 political prisoners is a warning example intended to intimidate/discourage freedom seekers.) 

Contrary to the media version of Jan. 6 events, evidence is mounting that it was a diversionary tactic staged by Pelosi et.al. It prevented a timely investigation into election fraud that, had it been allowed to proceed in an orderly fashion as intended, could have prevented what has proven to be a disastrous Biden administration.  

Most importantly, wars cannot be correctly analyzed without a wheels-within-wheels, correct and accurate Quantum Paradigm. The wars we see on the public stage reflect the deeper war going on between good and evil.  

And finally this:  

Tony, for a correct perspective on what’s going on politically in the U.S. you urgently need to get in contact with, follow AND support the work of The America Project. It’s founded by Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. His CEO is Patrick Byrne, former founder/CEO of Overstock.com.  See https://americaproject.com/ 

Bottom line: Here’s proof that the same thought police at work throughout social media, banning truth tellers and shutting down sites that challenge the prevailing false narrative, are also infiltrating channels and altering content! 

Now, once I recognized the scam, and called it out, the pinned message disappeared, and one (only one) of the deleted comments reappeared. Which tells me that the hacker continues to surveil and manipulate comments to your channel. 

Not good! 

So I decided this rare, unique time is too precious to waste. I’m going to turn this disappointment around, change it into a genuine “opportunity.”  The fact that my words had sufficient truth to signal forces of the dark side to retaliate is evidence that I’m on the right track. My ideas DO deserve the attention of Tony, Ray AND their followers.

In fact, the messages deleted might well be exactly the ones the world most needs!

Therefore, my message to you and Ray Dalio stands.  

Further, I need to ask. Do either of you have attorneys on board, charged with protecting your intellectual property? If so, I urge you to have them track down the two phone numbers I was given, first to text, then to message. These thought police are criminals! They need to be outed and dealt with appropriately. 

Patricia West is author of The Common Sense Book of Change and Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change. She’s currently working on The Phoenix Response: Dying To Be Reborn – in the Same Lifetime. 

Open Letter to Ray Dalio 

Dear Ray: In response your interview with Tony Robbins, I humbly have a different perspective to offer on the subjects of principles and patterns of change.  

By means of introduction, let me say I’m not a kid. (You’re 72 years of age. I recently celebrated my 77th year.)  

So, I’m as senior in years and experience as are you, albeit (for better or worse) I count my wealth in wisdom and inner strength, not dollars.  

That being said, at the end of Wheels Within Wheels, I mentioned that there was enough material left in my notes for a post double in length. I now feel compelled to start here where I left off. 

Just a brief recap before moving on to new territory.  

  • This is my gift to Tony and his guests: an exquisitely simple model that expresses what they already know – have been practicing and separately teaching for years. It is a complete, and accurate QUANTUM paradigm. It places emotion in the middle e=energy level of the Life Wheel. 
  • . . .  experts are looking at cycles of human history on outermost, manifest and material m=mass level of experience. But there is more. Historical events are the off-shoots, the projections of subtle energy dynamics.    
  • Today’s rare and powerful triple conjunction is setting the stage for massive shifts which astrologers anticipate (the magic word) will transform the world as we know it into a changed, unrecognizable place. Most think, in the long-term, much for the better.   
  • Most importantly, wars cannot be correctly analyzed without a wheels-within-wheels, correct and accurate Quantum Paradigm. The wars we see on the public stage reflect the deeper war going on between good and evil. 

Tony applauded your ability to recognize patterns. ““Understanding patterns can give you the ability to create greater quality of life for yourself, for your family, etc.” 

You responded, “I needed to study history to understand not only the patterns, but more importantly, the cause and effect behind the patterns.” 

To repeat, that’s exactly what the I Ching has to offer: 

It gives an in-depth view of how the world really works. Not just this family or that institution or the other county. Not arbitrary and capricious, fluctuating fashions, but the constant anchor over time.  It is a map of logical consequences, as inevitable as computer language. “If this, then that.”    

Again, it seems that you’re looking for patterns in historical events which occur on the surface of the life wheel, not appreciating that they reflect dynamics going on at deeper levels. 

For this, we need a larger viewpoint, the one embodied in the venerable Chinese I Ching. As the compendium of Natural Law, it speaks to the dynamics of the middle, e=energy middle level of the quantum Life Wheel. 

This book represents the distillation of wisdom accumulated over 8,000+ years of collective experience. Were it returned to a central position in school curriculum, where it belongs, there’d be no need to learn things the hard way, reinventing the wheel of fortune in the school of hard knocks, as you’ve had to do.  

One additional point: I humbly suggest that there is an important difference between principles and basic axioms. Here’s one list, detailed earlier as Seven Axioms of Positive Change. It deserves your careful consideration: 

  • A complete and correct paradigm is key to personal well-being and success. 
  • We are each a world complete, containing the potentials of the universe. 
  • Unity and Diversity Are Necessary Compliments. 
  • The consequences of action are inevitable; those who respect the Law of Karma succeed. 
  • History is neither linear or progressive, nor can human survival be taken for granted. 
  • Used as a linguistic tool, the quantum Wheel of Change promotes clear, accurate and effective communication. 
  • With a correct paradigm, practical methods and useful tools, you can make yourself whole. 

Also central to Natural Law is the premise that there are two sides to every coin. “Whatever has a front has a back. And the larger the front, the larger the back.” As a consequence: 

Appearances can be deceiving. Often times intentionally so! 

This concept applies directly to two subjects you spoke of: the market crash of 2008 and the January 6 storming of the Capitol. In both cases, a festering underbelly of corruption was at work, skewing the natural flow events. 

In both cases, Patrick Byrne speaks volumes to the corruption driving the surface appearance of events.  

From 2005, Patrick Byrne, then CEO of Overstock.com, was warning that the vast amount of corruption on Wall Street (naked short-selling) would make a market crash inevitable. Only after the 2008 crash did former detractors reluctantly agree he’d been right all along.  

As a survivor of that battle, he’s again serving on the frontlines of a similar scam. As the mountain of facts continues to rise, again proving him correct, he’s being validated in his warning that election fraud occurred on a massive scale in 2020.  

Further, though you repeatedly state that “January 6th is right out of the populist playbook, in other words, fighting for power,” a Life Wheel perspective deeper gives meaning to your point.  

Mounting evidence shows that Jan. 6 was a diversionary event orchestrated by House Speaker Pelosi and implemented by feds who infiltrated the ranks of Trump followers. It prevented an early investigation into election fraud that, had it been allowed to proceed in an orderly fashion, could have prevented what as proven to be a disastrous Biden adminstration. The disgraceful, unconstitutional treatment of Jan. 6 political prisoners is an intentional warning meant to intimidate patriots.  

Adding insult to injury, the false narrative of Jan. 6 is being exploited as a media circus to divert attention from valid issues. It’s outright evil. 

Bottom line: Powerholders with a vested interest in a dying order are, predictably, defending the deep state like animals backed into a corner. It’s the deep state that’s desperately attempting to engineer civil war. They’re provoking patriots beyond measure, looking for a pretext to inter them in Nazi-like FEMA camps, exterminate opponents as if to cancel the wave of the future.  

Once again, there’s much more that could be said. But I will stop here for now. 

In conclusion, for a correct perspective on what’s going on politically in the U.S., I urge both you and Tony Robbins to contact AND support the work of The America Project founded by Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. His CEO is Patrick Byrne, founder and former CEO of Overstock.com.  See https://americaproject.com/ 

Patricia West is author of The Common Sense Book of Change and Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change. She’s currently working on The Phoenix Response: Dying To Be Reborn – in the Same Lifetime. 

Wheels Within Wheels 

Tony Robbins and I go back a long way. His Awaken the Giant Within inspired the creation of the +A Positive Action Press and all that’s followed from it, including the website, rethinkingsurvival.com and a Mind Map envisioning proceeds of books being used to build intentional communities to survive Titanic times to come.  

Now, it seems, we’ve come full circle. I have something of value to offer Tony in return. 

Today’s post is exquisitely timed, occurring exactly during the peak of a rare and powerful triple conjunction associated with major, positive shifts in the world’s collective destiny. And that’s exactly what Tony wanted to talk about with experts on change. 

Neil Howe is co-author of a highly influential book, one that presidents and their advisors have given careful attention:  The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy – What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America’s Next Rendezvous with Destiny 

According to Howe, human history goes through repeated turnings analogous to the cycle of nature’s seasons: a high, an awakening, and an unraveling which culminates in crisis . . . which is where we are now.   

Ray Dalio is founder of Bridgewater, a company that’s managed $235 billion in assets. He’s also author of books on principle, the latest being Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail. 

In interviews with Neil and Ray, Tony begins by pointing out that, in each case, their success is explained by a highly developed ability to recognize patterns underlying apparent chaos.

“Power,” he declares, “comes to those that can recognize patterns.”  

More than that, their recognition is followed by the ability to use their knowledge – to adapt, adjust and expand on what’s available.  

“I don’t care if it’s in music, entertainment, or it’s in business — stocks or the financial world.” he says. “If you can recognize patterns, you can take things that look like chaos and turn them into something that you can predict and begin to perhaps anticipate. Because if there’s one power in life, in business, it’s the power to anticipate. 

“Leaders anticipate. People that lose tend to react.” 

Even further, masters take a third step. They’re innovators. They create positive change, if not in the world, certainly within themselves. 

Now, what could a humble person like me have to offer these giants in their respective fields? Well, a new perspective. It’s a simple but powerful, inclusive model that places the aspects of their collective experience in larger context. I call it the Quantum Paradigm. It’s imaged as the archetypal Life Wheel. Upon it is superimposed the three variables of Einstein’s Unified Field Theory.  

It looks like this:  

It’s the model of self-awareness Tony advocates, only placed within increasingly more subtle, inward levels of the Life Wheel. It images the possibility of fluid diversity on the surface held together in Unity by an unchanging central hub. 

This model was developed as a consequence of working over a lifetime with the venerable I Ching, the Chinese Book of Change. It gives a whole new meaning to the concept of change – one I would encourage Tony and his guests to explore, and the nation of China to remember and embrace.  

In Rethinking Survival, I described it: 

. . .  with the Wilhelm/Baynes edition, I had a version I could relate to. It literally became my teacher. It gave me a whole new concept of how the world really works. Not just this family or that institution or the other county. Not arbitrary and capricious, fluctuating fashions, but the constant anchor over time.  

From it, I could deduce the fundamental energy dynamics of action and reaction which drive relationships, internally at a psychological level, and externally in terms of practical, day-to-day events and their long-term consequences. 

I continued: 

It was an extension of the logic my English teacher Miss Elson impressed on my high school brain. But more. It gave me a map of logical consequences, as inevitable as computer language. “If this, then that.”  

For example, If you kick people, they kick back (if they can) or otherwise resist. If you are kind, you inspire love and trust in others. If you violate Natural Law, nature bites back (your mental health suffers; relationships deteriorate; your behavior becomes erratic and social/physical survival is imperiled). Asian cultures call this “the law of karma.” Its operation is also described in biblical terms: “As ye reap, so shall ye sow,” and “to everything there is a season.” 

I also described the value I place upon this treasure: 

From my point of view, this ancient, timeless science fills a critical blind-spot in Western thinking, lacking which, all efforts are partial and incomplete. Put another way, the glaring absence of this information explains why so much goes so terribly wrong, despite the best of intentions on the part of politicians, priests, coaches and leaders of every ilk. 

Now, Tony insists, “Biography is not destiny; decision is the ultimate power.” And, for eight-thousand years and counting, the Book of Change has been used as the ultimate, premier decision-making tool. Though the process of its use, one learns to ask better questions and get better results. 

He also speaks repeatedly about the primary importance of paradigms. “Your model of the world is what shapes you long term,” he says. “Your model of the world is the filter.” [Unfortunately, “Garbage in, garbage out.”] 

Emotions are too often neglected as the drivers of action. He describes them as “the invisible forces that shape us.”  

So this is my gift to Tony and his guests: an exquisitely simple model that expresses what they already know – have been practicing and separately teaching for years. It is a complete, and accurate QUANTUM paradigm. It places emotion in the middle e=energy level of the Life Wheel.

And more. 

For example, Ray Dalio praises the benefits of a daily meditative practice. He says it helps him quiet the noisy mind, calm his emotions, and access the subconscious level of experience. What’s left unclear is, What is this subconscious level? Emotions only? There’s a critically important, qualitative difference between sub-rational and super-rational levels of consciousness. Nor is this merely a linguistic quibble. 

Another benefit of working with the quantum Life Wheel is this. With all due respect, these experts are looking at cycles of human history that pertain to the outermost, manifest and material m=mass level of experience. But there is more. Historical events are the off-shoots, the projections of subtle energy dynamics.  

The Book of Change, which is a form of astrology, explains the e=energy aspect. So do other forms of astrology that have appeared over time all over the world. Some are lunar-oriented. Some solar. Some literally star-based. 

Whereas cycles of the seasons repeat on a yearly basis, the cycles of a human life range, on average, anywhere from fifty to eighty years. Civilizations endure up to 400 years. Each of these smaller cycles is embedded within increasingly larger ones, like wheels within wheels. Hence the symbology of nested Russian dolls. 

Now, today’s rare and powerful triple conjunction (quad actually, if you include the asteroid Kali) is setting the stage for massive shifts which astrologers anticipate (the magic word) will transform the world as we know it into a changed, unrecognizable place. Most think, in the long-term, much for the better. 

This isn’t the place to get overly technical. Suffice it say that in succession, over the next one to four or five years, each of the slow-moving outer planets that characterize an age will shift signs. One alone is major. Two is momentous. Three is absolutely mind-boggling. 

To accommodate all these changes — most especially the changes in demographics triggered by mass migrations of people, changing the face of every nation — an inclusive paradigm is required. To assimilate a wide-range of immigrants representing every national origin and religious faith, we’ve got to release the old paradigm of separation, competition and conquest. The future needs to adopt a complimentary, equivalent paradigm which transcends old boundaries, honoring the essential humanity common to us all. 

The Quantum Paradigm correctly slices the pie to recognize the difference between friends and enemies. In How Bad People Become Leaders, I show how fragmenting the Life Wheel produces narcissists, criminals and worse. This post explains the ongoing wars experienced throughout history as being driven from the deepest level explained biblically as a war between good and evil: 

In Positive Quantum Paradigm context, the intentions and actions of any person (or group) that destroys its own and/or threatens to annihilate enemy groups, devoid of respect for the inherent sanctity of life, are defined as evil.   

Now, there’s enough in my notes to double the length of this post. But I’m stopping here for now. I conclude with this:  

I urge Tony, Roy and Neil to get behind the collective shift to the Quantum Paradigm. Intuitively, they’re well aware of the variables and operate within it. But it would be a service to humanity for them to get on board with the language and model of the Quantum Life Wheel, be an active force promoting its acceptance.  

The paradigm shift will happen. Definitely. Inevitably. The only question is whether sooner or later, and how smoothly. Their engagement would make the transition quicker and less painful. 

Patricia West is author of The Common Sense Book of Change and Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change. She’s currently working on The Phoenix Response: Dying To Be Reborn – in the Same Lifetime. 

Looking in the Wrong Place for Answers

 

A poetic I Ching warning advises:  

Don’t hunt for deer in a forest in which none dwell. 

In plain English, it translates as, Don’t look for right answers where they’re not to be found. 

Let’s start with the most basic, universal question, “Who Am I?”  

If we look to the paradigm of empirical science for answers, they’re, at best, incomplete. Often misleading. And they change over a lifetime. 

I am so and so’s child. At times, I’m so and so’s friend, brother, sister, wife, or husband. Other times, I’m orphaned, abandoned, isolated and alone in the world. 

I’m born rich or poor, or somewhere in-between.  

I’m a farmer, plumber, doctor, lawyer or Indian chief; a housewife, salesman, cook or cleaner. 

I’m a skeptic or believer; an atheist, agnostic, humanitarian, pagan, shaman, sage, Jew, Muslim, Christian, or whatever. 

I’m a democrat, republican, libertarian, communist, iconoclast, rebel without a cause, or whatever.  

And these identities continuously shift over a lifetime. 

For most, biological identity is less mutable. I inhabit a male or female body which gradually ages over time. For all but the most imaginative, sexual preferences remain fairly fixed. 

But these identities are all restricted to the ever-changing surface of the quantum Life Wheel.  

Hidden within these answers is an implicit assumption. My things, my status and others — parents, teachers, community, church, state, or whatever — define Who I AM. Do they? Really? ?  

Is it possible that I have the right – ultimately, a responsibility — to define myself? 

In any case, in the long run, none of the usual answers are satisfying or fulfilling.  

The cabaret singer wails, “Is that all there is?”  

And the soul knows, “No.” What we see is the tiniest tip of an infinite iceberg. There’s so much more to life! None of these ephemeral, physical expressions of the True Self define the Me who I truly AM. 

Attempting to change things for the better inside the trap of the materialistic paradigm is an exercise in futility. To exchange one lifestyle for another, one gender expression for another, a new hairstyle, political affiliation, profession . . . whatever . . . is to look for answers to universal discontent in the wrong place. 

Fulfillment and satisfaction aren’t be found anywhere on the surface of the Life Wheel. Not really. Not in the long-term. 

The deer we desperately seek – our deepest longings, our true heart’s desire – dwell deep within the energy, light and Source levels of the Life Wheel which, in its arrogance, empirical science has ruled out. 

The more spacious, complete Quantum Paradigm is the right place to look for answers to our questions. 

For example, over a lifetime, I’ve struggled with understanding how to define myself as a woman. It was agonizing. I won’t bore you with the pages of details confided into journals over the years. Suffice it to say, going back for generations, the war between the sexes left causalities on all sides. 

Only by redefining myself in quantum perspective have I been able to put old demons to rest, saving the baby of feminine essence from the bathwater of unnatural stereotypes. 

Great compassion for my father and brother, who suffered as much from the oppression of limiting stereotypes as did I, compels me to wish for others what my family lacked. Namely, the awareness that each of us is, in essence, an immortal soul.  

Further, within each of us are the innate potentials to express both yin and yang qualities, balanced according to time, place and situation.  

In comparison, the biological bodies we chose for this particular incarnation are but a tiny percent of the vastness of who we each truly are. 

Even further, empirical science measures IQ. But it has no language for expressing the unique evolutionary path upon which each of us traveling.  I’ve left you some hints in Psychology’s Blind Spot. It’s worth a look. 

From another angle, I spoke to gender confusions in a comment to a locals website. The host was advocating civil unions as a way to keep all sides “happy,” avoiding religious conflicts. I responded:  

“Okay. My pesky muse insists I engage in your marriage discussion. How to do this briefly, clearly & usefully is quite the challenge. But will give it my best shot. 

“Restoring clarity and correctness to human relationships can only be achieved by starting with the basic understanding that everyone, everywhere shares in common the existence of a central, eternal core of divinity. From this point of view, genuine self-respect arises and from it, reverence for all life follows. 

“Secondarily, there’s an energetic substratum which all share in common, the e=energy level of the Quantum Paradigm. Though suppressed by cultural conditioning with grotesque consequences, by nature we all have the capacity to blend and alternate between different combinations of yin and yang: being submissive or assertive, gentle or firm, yielding or solid, nurturing or protective, etc. etc. 

“It’s only at the m=mass level of material tangible expression that souls separate into sexes, presumably for purpose of reproduction (though as Margaret Mead eloquently established in her research, the roles and attitudes assigned and assumed to these differences are not fixed. They vary greatly in different cultures).   

“These basic differences are matter of fact, and can’t be altered surgically/chemically. For example, at a seminar I once attended, Michio Kushi randomly called a man and woman up from the audience to prove this point. He held a pendulum over the head of each. It circled in one direction over the man, in the opposite direction over the woman. 

“Now, both men and women get bent out of shape because limiting either/or gender stereotypes are stifling across the board. The solution, however, is NOT any of the liberal BS which compounds problems rather than solving them. It is to link the levels, allowing for the natural and divine to filter through to and illumine human relationships in the infinitely variable ways they can express. 

“It would be an understatement to say that the radical, extreme separation and conflict generated by misunderstanding and disrespect for feminine essence (on the part of both men and women) is at the root of current dysfunctions . . . from personal relationships up to and including cultural breakdowns.  

“Legalities one way or the other don’t address the real issues, nor can they change what needs to be changed. 

“Amen. 

“PS. The problem with an exclusively rational approach is that, while it may be better than a reactive, emotional approach, it’s still half-assed. It’s divorced from the levels where problems begin and levels deeper still where genuine solutions are found.” 

Once one escapes from the trap of the materialistic paradigm, the field opens wide to infinite possibilities. So I dearly wish every one of you the best in your quest for better answers.  

As a matter of fact, it seems that events are conspiring to push the collective in the direction of quantum solutions. Everything we thought we knew and could take for granted in the material world is relentlessly being swept out from underneath us.

There’s no guarantee that the future will be easy. But it’ll be grand! Because you ain’t seen nothing yet!

Why do I say this? Tune in for the next installment: The Grand Finale. 

 

Patricia West is author of The Common Sense Book of Change and Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change. She’s currently working on The Phoenix Response: Dying To Be Reborn – in the Same Lifetime. 

Rethinking Nature in an Unnatural World 

It has long been a mystery to me that the venerable I Ching, the Chinese Book of Change, remains so undervalued and misunderstood. For me, releasing its essence from the weight of culture baggage and prejudice revealed a priceless treasure, akin to the biblical pearl without price. 

As psychologist Carl Jung recognized, this compendium of Natural Law is a premier tool used in the quest to make the unconscious conscious. Whereas European philosophers and American thinkers (including the venerable Zach Bush) romanticize nature, assign it a gender and a role (“mother nature”), and speculate all sorts of (excuse me) nonsense from the heart, the ancients understood the dynamics of nature with the accuracy of a detached, scientific eye. 

This science has been refined over thousands of years by those who observe the patterns of cyclical change in weather, in nature’s seasons, the seasons of human life, the dynamics of human relationships, and in the rise and fall of civilizations.  

Sadly, at one point I gave up. City dwellers who’ve never seen a night sky free of neon interference, who’ve never lived around livestock, or walked down country trails in the blaze of autumn colors simply can’t relate. In the process of being cut off from nature, they’ve been cut off from their inner lives as well. They seem not to suspect the existence of what they’re missing. 

So I let it go. That is, until a few days ago, when I came across a remastered Manly P. Hall lecture called The Healing Power of Nature. 

The springboard of his talk was Thoreau’s Walden, a book which describes the experiment he called “back to nature.”  In Hall’s analysis, I found a very different answer to my earlier question: “How can those who’ve never experienced life in a natural setting relate to Natural Law?”  

His conclusion: Even for those raised in an unnatural urban environment, “There are small ways, yet powerful, to ground yourself in Nature’s Way.” 

Quite to the contrary of my earlier conclusion, it’s not a lost cause. Far from being irrelevant to those who live in an unnatural world, the Book of Change is actually more vitally important than ever before.  

For no environment, however unnatural, can cancel out our essential inner nature. It continues to abide, whether or not we’re consciously aware of its influence.

Working with this book helps reconnect us with that sleeping part of ourselves that’s urgently crying out for attention.  

It holds a key to restoring inner awareness, first of the emotional energies that rule us (often tragically) from the unconscious, and then, deeper still, the unchanging source of those dynamics.  

Hall says: 

The theme of a return to nature is strong in many. In a healthy degree, is present in most. Therefore the story [Walden] continues to intrigue us, although it becomes more and more a utopian vision.  

To Thoreau, the story of back to nature is identical with the concept of back to self. 

But somewhere, some way, each individual must experience his existence in a true world, a world not fashioned by his own imagery, a world that is not the result of the interlocking of concepts, but a world which has a closeness to the earth, a world of values that are direct, natural, simple and inevitable. 

And here’s the conclusion that grabbed my attention: 

 If we cannot therefore go to this world from our own abodes, then we must bring this world to ourselves.  

We must discover it by a code of conduct or a series of internal revelations, so that if nature around us is denied us, nature can still live within us and become the basis of a normalcy and a vitality which can carry us over the doubts and problems of the years. 

Yes!!! 

The code Hall calls for is embodied in the I Ching. Working with it triggers internal revelations just waiting to surface, begging for our attention. 

Let me give you just a hint of what’s in store for those who take Hall’s advice. 

Here’s an example. In my introduction to The Common Sense Book of Change, I followed Jung’s example. In his introduction to the classic Wilhelm/Baynes translation of the I Ching from German to English, he asked the book to introduce itself. He asked what it wanted readers to know, and then elaborated on its response. 

So I queried, “What does the Common Sense Book of Change have to offer its readers?” The answer looks like this: 

I rest my case. 

— — —

Patricia West is author of The Common Sense Book of Change and Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change. She’s currently working on The Phoenix Response: Dying To Be Reborn – In the Same Lifetime. 

What You Seek . . . 021221

The flame of will to write seemed out.

I turned my attention elsewhere. Humans are too distracted by chaos; media conspires to ramp up fear, censor truth and hope. Voices like mine just get lost in the noise.

Yet messages wanting an outlet sneak in under the radar, bringing me back to my calling.

I wanted to know more about the akasha – the stuff of the fifth element yogis call ether. They say there’s an akashic library where every thought ever thought is recorded. Your past and the paths forward towards every potential future are all there for those who know how to look.

I became interested because these records hold answers to questions about life purpose. And lately, I’ve been wondering why I’m still here, even after my beloved teacher returned home to keep company with his “drinking buddies,” the archangels.

Until recently, this whimsical quote from Richard Bach’s Illusions satisfied me:

Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished.

If you’re alive, it isn’t.

But now it’s not enough.

Old Avatar instantly retrieved whatever information he needed — seemingly out of thin air. Students thought he was a genius, assuming he’d memorized books read in the past. But I knew from what OA told me, he accessed the akashic records. At the time, it didn’t occur to me to ask how. Now I wished I had.

Watching videos, I learned that the akash is compared to the internet. Except, in this case, all the information of the Universe is out there, beyond time, in the quantum field. It’s available to anyone with the basic equipment and skills.

There are countless methods for attuning the human radio-mind to this wave length. Most involve meditation practices.

Over night, I tried listening to a sleep meditation, Access the Akashic Records to Learn Your Soul Name and Purpose Hypnosis.

Though well done and intriguing, it reinforced an unintended lesson. “Be careful what you wish for.” Before treading in potentially treacherous waters, have a carefully defined intention. DON’T mess carelessly with this vast field. You could get lost and not come back. I woke up remembering a painfully distressing dream – something about a rescue dog begging for help. But I couldn’t save it. It was definitely an experience I don’t care to repeat.

But further thought led to another Aha! I realized that as a meditative method — asking specific questions and tapping into intuitive answers — working with the Book of Change is perfectly suited to accessing the akasha. I’d been already doing it all along.

Even better, this method and its benefits are available to you as well.

Here’s what I learned from this exploration that needs to be shared: What you seek is already within. Think carefully on this. The meaning will expand and grow on you, I promise.

I did the following reading on February 11th. At the time, its message of prosperity, sharing and community made zero sense to me, living in isolation as I currently do, under strict COVID restrictions. Only after researching the akasha and possibility of future potentials does its meaning hold hope. You’re welcome to decide what you make of it for yourself.

PROSPERITY is the initial, dynamic answer to the question, “What should I intend for the future at this New Moon in Aquarius?” It reads:

Use the time of PROSPERITY as the opportunity to benefit as many as possible. Hoarding wealth of any kind hastens loss. Nature acts to distribute resources equally. Therefore the way to prevent poverty is to live modestly in the present. Share wisely, without prejudice. This secures continued well-being. Avoid possessiveness.

At first take, it seems ironic to think of the current time as one of Prosperity. At best, it feels like the calm before a coming storm. But keep in mind OA’s warning, “Never challenge worse.” Were the grid to go down — for any reason, human or natural — and the internet were to become a faint memory, humans would again have to rely directly on the akash and inner knowing instead of man-made imitations for access to the quantum field.

Today, most of us still have sufficient food and adequate shelter. Even in Wisconsin’s sub-zero temperatures, I’m not suffering over much. But were depopulation plans of one-world order folks allowed to mature, many will starve and meet horrible ends. It’s best to appreciate and protect the blessings at hand.

In my case, the wealth I have to share is my experience with the Book of Change. Thinking no one wants it is a form of prejudice, I suppose. Moving forward, I’ll do my best and leave the results to those who know better than I.

* * *

Advice of the fifth line reads, “Seek out the best advice available. Follow it. Much benefit.”

In my particular case, with zero direct human contact, the Book of Change is my one source of good advice. Today, sharing its usefulness as a portal into the akashic records seems to be the path open both to me and others. When advice is heeded, it turns into Change:

Day and night replace each other in endless cycles of CHANGE. The same natural law generates flux in human events. The unprepared see change as a threat, but the well-prepared face the unknown calmly. They know that after degeneration reaches critical mass, regeneration follows. Welcome the new. Avoid short-sighted fear.

In today’s context, Change reinforces deep foreboding. We’re in the calm before a great storm whose the outcome cannot be foreseen. Our attitudes, whether positive or negative, will determine which of alternative possible futures materializes.

* * *

Advice of the top, sixth line reads, “Share with others. Holding back unwisely ends in lonely isolation.”

This reinforces the thread of sharing. If I don’t hold back, through writing I can connect with others, even if not in obvious, direct ways. When the advice is heeded, it changes to Energy, which reads:

By harmonizing the different aspects of one’s internal life, family relationships and job responsibilities, one can make the best use of intrinsic ENERGY. Organizing various inner energies makes it possible to act creatively and dynamically in the external world. Harness energy to worthy goals and projects. Avoid conflict and waste.

I have a hunch as to how this applies to me, but I’ll leave it to you to sort out the ways in which it applies to your immediate situation.

* * *

When the advice of both changing lines is heeded, their combined, final outcome is Community, which reads:

Commitment to COMMUNITY is a necessary part of individual growth. Choose leaders who can express common goals with clarity. They will know how to assign work according to ability so that all prosper. In the harmonious community, creative power expresses through the skillful work of individuals. Avoid all selfishness.

Here we come full circle, with generosity being linked to the intent for future Prosperity, whether the community be in the physical, through the internet, or the quantum field.

If you’d like a copy of the Common Sense Book of Change, or extras to give others, click here.

To order Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change, click here.

Okay, then. That’s all for now. Take care, all.

The Path of Reason – 012821

Today’s I Ching answer totally surprised me, though in retrospect it makes perfect sense. I expected consequences of not choosing the Path of Love to be catastrophic. But the Tao is merciful. Eventually, all paths (however different, difficult and long) reunite, meeting at the same mountain top.

In hindsight, I recognized that the outcome of either choice is similar (though the process is not). Why? It goes back to the Great Reconciliation described earlier. Faith leads to knowledge. Knowledge leads to faith. Apparently opposite approaches to experience are linked in an infinite loop. It looks like this:

Yesterday’s complimentary post, The Path of Love, focused on today’s full moon in Leo. But for folks closed by education and/or prejudice to the e=energy, middle level of the Life Wheel, that message rings false. They’re too reasonable, logical and intelligent to take stock of such nonsense. Operating on the empirical science paradigm which rules out anything which can’t be measured and quantified, all too many are stuck on the slow, round-about way to wisdom.

The good news for those who sincerely seek truth is that they’ll (eventually) find their way home. For, as it has wisely been said, “That which you seek seeks you.” Love will find a way to get through to the noisy mind, opening even the most hardened heart.

So long as we keep moving, the infinite path will take us home. Hearts closed for whatever reason – be it pride, disappointment, or abuse – can heal. Because it’s a two-way street, facts and faith will eventually align. In God’s time, each leads to the other.

I Ching wisdom confirms that when skillfully balanced, opposite approaches to fulfillment complement and complete each other:

OPPOSITES attract. When they are skillfully balanced, they unite to form a heart with a common center. When they clash, the conflict is destructive. Blending opposites is not easy. Rely on the unity beneath all diversity to bridge the gap. The result will be a creative flowering.

The open, receptive Path of Love is pure yin. In Taoist shorthand, it’s represented by an upward-pointing triangle. The grounded, masculine Path of Reason is pure yang, represented by a downward-pointing triangle. When merged, they form the biblical Star of David, the Hindu Shri Yantra. This particular image appeals to me because the center encompasses its parts.

Without exception, the hexagrams appearing in today’s reading are already familiar from The Lessons of 2020. ORIGIN is the original but dynamic answer to the question, “What is the consequence of failing to choose the higher path?” It reads:

All people thirst to know the roots their ORIGIN. At one level, learning about family and cultural traditions fills this need. At another level, this quest is satisfied by seeking for deeper knowledge. The vitality of all races flows from a single source which never runs dry. Avoid narrow-mindedness.

The starting point of this reading is narrow-mindedness. Often people, though committed to finding truth, are stuck at the level of cultural conditioning. But looking for wisdom on the surface of the Life Wheel is futile. It’s like“hunting for deer in a forest where none dwell.” What’s needed is to shift gears, broaden the paradigm and look deeper, approaching that single source which everyone everywhere shares in common.

* * *

Advice of the fifth line reads, “If you refuse to serve others, your gifts are wasted.” The situation is still one of narrow-minded selfishness. That approach leads to failure and must be released. When advice is heeded and one’s gifts are recognized as being integral to the welfare of the whole, the line changes to Promotion, which reads:

Promotion will come from steady, positive improvement over time. Rising to meet new challenges results in emotional maturity. Advancing on the job puts one in the position to serve those who are in need. Quiet, persistent self-discipline wins the confidence of others. Make the most of opportunities. Avoid hesitation.

Here self-discipline, emotional maturity and service enter the picture and are rewarded with recognition.

* * *

Building on the fifth line’s theme, advice of the top, sixth line reads, “Sharing your gifts will bring blessings and prosperity to many.” Here the benefits of promotion are multiplied to bless others as well as oneself. When the promise of the sixth line is fulfilled, it changes to Gentleness, which reads:

As the wind moves clouds, shapes mountains and stirs the trees, so GENTLENESS has a powerful influence. Quiet, steady gradual actions win respect and cooperation. Find out what concerns the people you work with and speak in those terms. In this way, you can reach their minds. Avoid noisy conflict.

Here, leadership evolves from one who is laughed at, then feared, then adored by the people to the deepest, broadest influence: broadcasting to every mind receptive at the quantum level.

* * *

The final, combined outcome of Origin is Fresh Start, which reads:

Even when it seems that all has been spoiled, it is possible to make a FRESH START. Be willing to face your faults. Find out how to correct them. The situation will gradually improve if you are sincere and work hard. Be sure you know what you want. Avoid delay.

Here, the noisy mind starts at the surface level of drama, conflict and scattered confusion. It takes determined effort to tame and discipline that mind. But if the intention to do so is sincere, clear and focused, gradually emerging from the swamp of chaotic emotions, hurtful relationships and destructive circumstances will most certainly follow.

Collected posts will be published as The Lessons of 2020: Using the Wisdom of CHANGE to Build a Better Future. Look for it on amazon in 2021.

If you’d like a copy of the Common Sense Book of Change, or extras to give others, click here.

To order Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change, click here.

Okay, then. That’s all for now. Talk with you again soon. Take care, all.

The Path of Love – 012721

Overriding Love of Life as well as the lesser loves of liberty, family and country are values shared in common across the board. They’re not exclusive to any time, place or people. While focus on lesser loves changes, fundamental Love of Life supports them all.

On January 28th of 2021 we have a full moon in Leo, seat of heart energy, sign of leadership, courage and creativity. It sets the tone for year. Astrologers agree that we’re being given the choice (and responsibility) to focus on the heart as we continue to swim through oceans of conflict creating profound changes on every level — personal, social and economic.

Today, I’m focusing on Pam Gregory’s powerful message. While the technical analysis is complicated, her conclusions are easy to understand. I can’t put them any better, so I’m offering the highlights here with all credit to her.

In sum, the influence of full moons affect us a few days prior and post. They serve to shine a light on what we haven’t known before, bringing emotions to a head, along with feelings of culmination or closure.

The broadest pattern continuing through 2024 is the deconstruction of old systems. There will “breakdowns in order to breakthrough” in government as well as the professions of law, healthcare and education.

In 2021, we can expect to experience layered realities with two broad choices (she calls them “trajectories” or “timelines”). In the lower octave, there will be chaos: drama, polarity and negativity, shocks, high speed twists and turns of events, including social unrest. In the higher octave, there’s an extraordinary opportunity to upgrade consciousness.

At the 3D level, it’s going to get very confusing. We will wonder, “What true? What’s not? What can we trust, what not?” For this reason, its more important than ever to cultivate mental clarity balanced by kindness. If you get a challenge, take a step back. Ask, “What would LOVE do?” Let that be your mantra. “What would LOVE do?”

My own conclusion is that nations across the board have become separated both from their own cultural roots and from a fundamental awareness of humanity’s common ORIGIN, where all meet at the center on the higher road, the path of unity which Pam recommends.

For today’s reading, I asked about the I Ching’s view on choosing the higher path, returning to the path of love. I also asked about the consequences of failing to choose this path. See the following post for the answer to that second question.

PERMANENCE is the original, dynamic answer to the question, “What is the consequence of choosing the higher path?” It reads:

Search for PERMANENCE in the timeless wisdom of all ages. Human events repeat themselves in well-ordered patterns over many generations. Although the actors change, the values they pass on through their examples endure. Nothing of permanent value is ever lost. Live worthy of your heritage. Avoid disrespect for traditions.

Love as a timeless value is the starting point of this dynamic reading. For example, Patrick Byrne senses and returns the enduring love of life which pervades the philosophy of the Tao and its underlying I Ching wisdom. It’s written (despite a relatively recent communist overlay) into the very DNA of China’s people. Despite a similar communist overlay, that same love, though with a shift of focus towards liberty, is inherent in America’s genes.

* * *

Alternating lines in the first, third and fifth places all change. Advice of the bottom, first line reads “Great works require long growing time. Patience is worth it.” I’m understanding that both China and the U.S. are works in progress. The jury isn’t out on the fate of either country. However bleak the immediate present, hope remains that love of life will prevail in the long run.

When the advice is heeded and patience preserved, it changes to Responsibility, which reads:

The RESPONSIBILITY which comes with holding a powerful position is an important test. You can use authority over others to benefit them or to feed selfish pride. In either case, you will experience the results of your actions later on. Exercise responsibility with thoughtful correctness and restraint. Avoid inconsiderate behavior.

Impending consequences of selfishly abusing political power are fearful to behold and close at hand, a lesson to future generations.

* * *

Advice of the third line reads “Indecision and lack of consistency will ruin whatever you attempt.” This is not a time for sitting on the fence. When this warning is heeded by cultivating decisiveness and consistency, it changes to Forgiveness, which reads:

Through FORGIVENESS, old debts are canceled and harmony is restored. Free yourself from outgrown habits. Don’t be afraid to let go of the past. Releasing tensions will produce health. Mental blocks will be resolved. New clarity of vision will lead to important decisions. Peace of mind will follow. Avoid anxiousness.

This is the potential reward of choosing to return to the path of love and unity.

* * *

Advice of the fifth line reads, “Choose methods by purpose. Visionary projects require creativity and courage.” Breakthroughs throughout the service professions call for a small army of innovators to come forward. When the advice is heeded it changes to Inner Strength, which reads:

When difficult situations come to a head, rely on INNER STRENGTH to endure. If it becomes necessary to retreat, do so with courage and self-confidence. Make sure your inner and outer resources are secure. If you must begin a new life, you will have to depend on them. Avoid helplessness.

Inner and outer resources include practical skills and life lessons learned as well as the wisdom traditions internalized through consistent practice.

* * *

When advice of the three changing lines is heeded, the combined final result is Inspiration, which reads:

When minds are moved by INSPIRATION, nothing is impossible. Misunderstandings can be cleared up, problems solved and hardships overcome. Inspired speakers can move others to acts of heroism by well-chosen words. Reminding people of their common goals and deepest desires gives them the courage to continue. Avoid unkindness.

In the immediate context, the courage and creativity of heart-centered love is the source of inspiration that will see us through immediate hardships. It has been said that “Love heals all.” We’ve also been taught that “With God, all things are possible.”

Collected posts will be published as The Lessons of 2020: Using the Wisdom of CHANGE to Build a Better Future. Look for it on amazon in 2021.

If you’d like a copy of the Common Sense Book of Change, or extras to give others, click here.

To order Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change, click here.

Okay, then. That’s all for now. Talk with you again soon. Take care, all.

The Path to Reconciliation – 012021

During today’s quiet morning time, the idea for this post clicked into mind. It started with remembering Patrick Byrne’s vision of merging the values of East and West. It moved to looking forward, thinking about how to make it happen.

I revisited my recurring dream of organizing a School Without Walls. Basically, it would serve to link self-responsible students with a qualified mentor. Together, they would design a unique degree program around a personal goal. This would give the next generation what I found missing from my own education.

In You Are Already Enough, I described my personal solution:

As a young adult, my Life Wheel was centered around the goal of becoming a worthy musician. I organized every sector of my life around this single purpose.

Never once did I consider earning a living as a violin teacher. The ones I worked with were way too narrow. They knew about fingering the notes written on sheet music, but the heart and soul of sound wasn’t their department.

I had to design my own course of learning. I chose Oberlin College because it allowed me to balance a top-notch liberal arts program with a world-class music school. I studied violin privately as an “amateur” (a music lover), but majored in world literature and intellectual history.

I wanted to understand the ideas that drove great composers and their patrons. I had to delve into scriptures to feel the devotion that inspired Bach and Mozart.

I needed to know about the physics of sound vibration. I haunted the workshop of a local violin maker to watch how he built and maintained his instruments.

To me, the physical body was a resonant instrument. Tuning it was essential to my calling. Yogic breathing, exercise and personal self-maintenance were integral to my overall vision.

The musicians I performed with in ensembles and orchestras were my friends and family in spirit. We went to concerts together and socialized afterwards at local pubs.

On a related topic, I revisited my intended doctoral dissertation on the Origins and Future of the University. In the repeating cycles of history, I foresaw a looming choice ahead between either a renaissance or another dark ages. In my early morning state, I even dared hope to collaborate with Patrick, an acknowledged renaissance man, to tip the balance in favor of renaissance.

We’re not taught to look to the Book of Change for answers to our deepest questions. That’s why I’m bringing the book to you.

Today’s reading comes in two parts. First I asked, “What role does education have to play in the path of reconciliation?” PROMOTION was the unchanging answer. It reads:

Promotion will come from steady, positive improvement over time. Rising to meet new challenges results in emotional maturity. Advancing on the job puts one in the position to serve those who are in need. Quiet, persistent self-discipline wins the confidence of others. Make the most of opportunities. Avoid hesitation.

My first take was confusion. This didn’t answer my real question. Then I realized I’d asked it in a wrong way. I wasn’t looking for the end result, but rather the process through which the goal is achieved. I got a static answer because I asked a static question about education’s role.

Improvement, emotional maturity, and service all speak to outcomes, not the process. I needed to frame a better question asking for advice on how we get from here to there.

So I asked, “How could education evolve to serve the goal of reconciliation going forward?” This answer was dynamic (again reconfiguring dynamics familiar from 2020 readings). It started with STANDSTILL, which reads:

When opposing forces draw apart, activity comes to a STANDSTILL. Lack of understanding results in mistrust and refusal to cooperate. When weak leaders prevent necessary cooperation, it is best to withdraw from the situation and wait for the times to change. Direct your attention toward inward growth.

This original answer represents the immediate situation in need of remedy. Other names for this hexagram include Negative, Withdrawing, Stagnation or Separation.

* * *

Advice of the second line reads, “Don’t compromise your principles. Protect yourself calmly. Struggle won’t help.” Advice heeded, the line changes changes to Conflict, which further defines Standstill. It reads in part:

CONFLICT develops when one refuses to see the view-point of others. The way out is to be open to others and willing to meet them half-way. Pushing a disagreement to open conflict would result in separation.

* * *

Advice of the fifth line reads, “Paralysis is cured by joining elements meant to work together.” Paralysis – Standstill — is overcome by merging the best of apparently opposite energies. These include the values of social responsibility versus personal freedom; protective (classically male) versus nurturing (classical female) qualities, as well as an outgoing, practical/intellectual approach to life versus an inward/intuitive, contemplative approach to experience.

When advice is heeded, the line changes to Improvement, which reads:

IMPROVEMENT is now possible if you are willing to follow the example of worthy teachers. If you have absorbed negative suggestions in the past which prevent you from expressing your higher self freely, use this time to break away from bad habits. Seek the inspiration of positive influences.

* * *

When the entire process is honored, the combined final outcome is Finish, which reads:

When the FINISH is near, think about the future. Since nothing ends without a new beginning, prepare for what comes next. Order your life so that you are free to move on. Success in the next cycle will depend on the inner wealth you have stored. Avoid fear of change.

Right now, humanity is entering the beginning of a new series of cycles. The new year, 2021, begins a twenty-year astrological cycle of Jupiter/Saturn conjunctions in air rather than earth signs. It’s embedded within a 200 year cycle, within a 2,000 year cycle that roughly corresponds with the beginnings of the Christian era. (That’s just an interesting side note, FYI. This isn’t the time/place to elaborate, but you can take my word for it.)

Here, inner wealth includes the sum of life lessons learned, and/or wisdom traditions actualized/assimilated through practice.

And fear of change is primarily a function of programmed ignorance. Means for overcoming fear include not only native courage, but also faith and wisdom. To this end, mastering Natural Law encoded in the Book of Change is the beginning of white magic. Then, with I Ching insight, “everything serves to further.”

P.S. In the the Cycles of History, I mention The Great Reconciliation. Because that information was posted elsewhere, I’m now republishing it to this site. It’s especially relevant now and well-worth your thoughtful attention.

Collected posts will be published as The Lessons of 2020: Using the Wisdom of CHANGE to Build a Better Future. Look for it on amazon at the end of January, 2021.

If you’d like a copy of the Common Sense Book of Change, or extras to give others, click here.

To order Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change, click here.

Okay, then. That’s all for now. Talk with you again soon. Take care, all.

Choose LOVE – 011621

We have a shared vision, Patrick Byrne and I. Who is he? Why do I say this? What is the vision? And what does the Chinese Book of Change have to say to the world about this vision?

I’ll let Patrick, widely recognized as a modern day renaissance man, tell you in his own words. Here’s a quote from an interview with Dave Rubin:

I’m a great admirer of the Chinese. Yeah. I’ve loved China. I’m an old China hand. I grew up loving China. If I had a historical role in the world, it was going to be to somehow to build . . (here he made his point with a hand gesture):

I think the best thing that could happen for the world is some sort of merger of the U.S. and Chinese principles that actually could create healthy perpetual peace for the world. . . We have a lot to learn from the Chinese. They do some things very well.

What is merger Patrick has in mind?

Their family, their traditions, their focus on education and on building human capital. All kinds of things I saw in China and I thought, “Boy. This is what we need to see more of here.”

But what I love about our system is freedom. And there needs to be some sort of merger of those interests.

Perpetual peace? Though I personally can’t see that far and wide, it’s certainly a noble ideal. For starters, I’d be quite content if a merger served to support the goal of human survival, which Einstein warned us, can no longer be taken for granted.

What I have to contribute to Patrick’s version of the vision is the reality map of the Life Wheel, the embodiment of Einstein’s intuited Unified Field Theory. It serves as the foundation of genuine UNITY – not of just of the States of America, but humanity as a whole. It embodies the underlying wisdom of the timeless (not merely “ancient”) Book of Change. It supports, not as philosophic theory, but as scientific fact the quantum reality which en-compass humans everywhere throughout all time:

The archetypal Life Wheel is easily adapted to show freedom and individuality on the surface, compatible with enduring commitments to family and country at a deeper level, both sustained by fidelity to Conscience at the eternal, unchanging Center (alternatively called Source, Creator, God, or simply nothing at all).

I really wanted to know what the I Ching – China’s enduring heritage (though currently censored by the anti-life CCP) — has to say to the world about this shared vision. So that’s what I asked in the reading which follows.

We’re not taught to look to the Book of Change for answers to our deepest questions. That’s why I’m bringing the book to you.

DECLINE is the original but dynamic answer to the question, “What does the Book of Change want to tell the world about the vision of merging U.S. and Chinese values to create healthy, perpetual peace for the world?” It reads:

Economy of means is required by DECLINE. The cycle of time is entering a period of decreasing resources. Make necessary adjustments with patience and strength. Be ready to accept changes of lifestyle cheerfully. A return to simple living is for the best. Resistance would only make things worse. Avoid bitterness.

The initial reading describes our immediate starting point. Unavoidably, things are going to get even rougher before they get better. But just as there were opportunities hidden within 2020’s COVID crisis, the hidden blessing of 2021 may well be the (necessary) return to simplicity and grace (not coincidentally, the subject of Paul Selig’s next series.) To quote Patrick:

Really, the way to handle [pressures on large organizations] is just keep everything simple. Keep the Truth the Truth and keep the rules simple. Simple rules for a complex world.

* * *

Advice of the bottom line reads, “Be balanced in giving and receiving. Think through your priorities.”

Each culture has much to offer the other. Each fills in a blind spot in the other. These compliments have the potential to make both whole. A balanced, respectful exchange of values and ideas, neither side claiming superiority, would be immensely beneficial across the board. The priority? Human survival may well be at stake.

When the advice is heeded, it changes to Immaturity, which reads:

Problems experienced now may stem from IMMATURITY rather than from any basic fault. Decide what you need to learn and seek out unselfish people who can help you gain experience. If your mind is open, you will not be denied. If you are a teacher, look for sincerity. Avoid arrogance.

Immaturity here may be one of ignorance, best repaired by education. To quote Patrick, who was chosen by Milton Friedman as his successor:

Milton thought that the way you save the nation was with school choice. He used to say that our current government school system – our socialist school system — is gonna teach socialist values. A free market system would teach freedom. He saw that’s how we save the country in the long-term.

This is another, related vision Patrick and I share in common. I endured the painful process of earning a Ph.D. in Educational Administration for the sake of the credential required to build an alternative “School Without Walls.”

* * *

Advice of the second line reads, “Effective relationships depend on knowing how to time your actions.” When the advice is heeded, when we choose to grow up, outgrowing immature beliefs and ways, it changes to Growth, which reads:

People seek help according to what they need for their own growth. Unless hunger is fed with the right food, no amount of input will satisfy. To understand others, watch how they nourish themselves. Nature provides for all. Leaders promote those who have the ability to serve many. Avoid greed.

Above all, people everywhere crave love and acceptance within human family. In balance, they also hunger for truth, freedom, independence and self-respect. These values must be merged and harmonized. Making them an either/or choice is a death-trap.

* * *

Advice of the third line reads, “Single people attract companions while groups of three break down.” Being alone, as if the only star in the sky, is isolating and invites the complement which completes it. When the advice is heeded, it changes to Restraint which reads:

Exercise RESTRAINT in your actions. Seek the company of people who can advise on the best way to use your resources. The skills you have learned earlier can now be used to benefit others. Multiply the benefit of what has already been done by sharing results. Avoid careless waste.

Exactly. Seek out the company of advisors (including The Book of Change) to assist in this cultural cross-fertilization. Sharing the best of what each has to offer (and sometimes have forgotten) multiplies benefits across the board.

* * *

Advice of the fourth line reads, “Hold yourself to high standards, but be patient with others.” The thoughtful assimilation of and transition to the Quantum Paradigm will not occur over night. Patient forbearance is required. When the advice is heeded, it changes to Opposites which reads:

OPPOSITES attract. When they are skillfully balanced, they unite to form a heart with a common center. When they clash, the conflict is destructive. Blending opposites is not easy. Rely on the unity beneath all diversity to bridge the gap. The result will be a creative flowering. Avoid stubborn resistance.

In immediate context, the apparent opposites with the potential to either merge or fatally clash are the values of the U.S. versus those of China. Parse each book-worthy sentence as if gold. In combination, they offer the way out of current madness.

A famous quote from The Ballad of East and West, a 19th century poem by British author Rudard Kipling, keeps coming back into mind. It speaks to the historic clash but potential transcendence of paradigms, obsolete and future. The message holds true despite sexist assumptions, and even though East and West in this case are China and the U.S., not India and England. It starts:

It continues:

* * *

When the advice of each line is heeded, the combined, final outcome is Travel, which reads:

When you have outgrown a situation, it is time to TRAVEL on. Staying longer would prevent attainment of important goals. Commitments made now probably would not work out. In dealing with strangers exercise careful self-control. Talk little. Listen much. Learn from everyone who has information to share. Avoid dangerous exposure.

In the immediate circumstance, what has been outgrown is false paradigm of fracture, conflict, competition, and fear-driven dominance and control. While turning away from obsolete ways of governance in hopes of a better future, don’t, however, underestimate the vindictive backlash of old paradigm power-holders. They’re dangerously motivated by the fear of their impending extinction. Act accordingly.

In sum, as during the biblical times of Exodus, the Creator is giving humanity a choice with dire consequences. “Choose Life or choose death.” I know what mine is. I choose Love of Life. What is yours?

In conclusion, Dave Rubin commented, “I think you’re gonna help us navigate the freaking nasty, really rough waters we’re about to go through.” He asked Patrick, “Is there something we should be thinking about?”

His answer? The same one I’ve repeatedly offered in past posts. Keep the faith. I do not think we’re gonna lose this. I actually think that we’re gonna win. KEEP THE FAITH.

Look for the map of the next four years in The Lessons of 2020: Using the Wisdom of CHANGE to Build a Better Future, available on amazon at the end of January 2021.

If you’d like a copy of the Common Sense Book of Change, or extras to give others, click here.

To order Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change, click here.

Okay, then. That’s all for now. Talk with you again soon. Take care, all.

A Solemn Message for Dangerous Times – IC – 0113221

Today, taking the form of new followers, the Universe steered me back on course. Discouraged by current events and thinking (perhaps due to unfriendly algorthythms) no one is listening, I had decided against posting this I Ching reading. But to my pleasant surprise, folks are starting to show interest. So, I thank you friends, both new and continuing. I will not disappoint you.

Today’s message was conceived in a mood of pessimism. As world events peak at critical mass over the coming week, what can we expect?

The timing of this responsive reading has a long arc. The pattern created by its changing lines could take up to four years to see completion.

It reminds me of earlier work about the nature of democratic institutions, personal responsibility, and the consequences of failing to change with the times. Here are a few snippets:

Approaching Natural Law and social organizations from the deeper understanding of the ancients could inspire a more humane and effective approach to international relations now, one based on energy dynamics which the human community shares in common.

. . . Just as freedom wasn’t guaranteed forever when Americans won the Revolutionary War, slavery wasn’t totally abolished when the North defeated the South in the Civil War.

Freedom isn’t a static achievement that can be passed on unchanged from one generation to the next. Democracy must renewed and earned again, one individual at a time, each generation at a time, continuously redefined in the context of immediate circumstances.

From the statistical findings my 1978 doctoral thesis, I unintentionally proved with highly significant results that Democracy is a Myth. Even that far back, I concluded:

. . . the American dream of a democratic, meaningful choice in leadership is but an illusion. In an informal process that proceeds the formal one, candidates are pre-selected and effectively owned by insiders. The sorry absence of innovative, effective leadership is explained by the documented filtering process which for the most part excludes creative, natural leaders.

What are the long-term survival consequences? To our detriment, the Western linear progressive theory of history puts in-bred leaders operating on dysfunctional paradigms at a loss to foresee cyclical down-turns in order to prepare for them in time.

I lamented:

Egypt’s Pharaoh had his Joseph to interpret warning dreams and oversee the timely storage of grain during seasons of plenty to off-set famine during seasons of drought. Who prepares or listens to such boundary-spanning advisors now? Who warns against the disastrous consequences of short-sighted politics?

Here’s the picture of teeter-tottering adversaries engrossed in murderous enmity, oblivious to the live grenade beneath them, threatening all sides with extinction.

We’re not taught to look to the Book of Change for answers to our deepest questions. That’s why I’m bringing the book to you.

PROBLEMS is the original answer to the question, “What should we be aware of today, with a powerful New Moon in Capricorn conjunct transformative Pluto?” It reads:

When a new life is struggling to emerge, there will be PROBLEMS in the beginning. Seek help from people whose ideas and methods can help to create inner and outer stability. Take an active part in the growing process. This will help you to define your own identity. Avoid helplessness.

The major reset of the next four years, the off-shoot of Lessons Learned in 2020, is one foreseen in biblical and astrological teachings. It has nothing to do with the globalist schemes of world economic elites. The fragmenting, limited paradigm of empirical science will be augmented and replaced by the Quantum Paradigm of wholeness, one upon which sages and scientists worldwide can agree.

Yes. Individuals can and miraculously do change “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.”

But positive social/political change does not come quick or easy. The passing, obsolete order with its vested interests in monopolistic power — fearing logical retribution for unspeakable crimes against humanity — will use every resource available to censor, resist, obstruct and prevent positive change. Though deadly in the short-term (think inquisitions in Spain), they cannot prevail today. They never have. They never will.

* * *

All three of the top lines of today’s hexagram change, starting with the fourth, which reads, “Develop a sense of inner timing. Know when to act.” In the meantime, keep you powder dry. Those who stand and wait also serve. When the advice is heeded, the line changes to Flow:

Follow the natural FLOW of daily events. Swimming against the tide would exhaust your energies and accomplish little. Be realistic about changes which have taken place. Adapt to the present situation. Let others take the lead now. Assist them if possible. Live a quiet and simple life. Avoid stress.

This reflects a major 2020 lesson: “Resist not evil. Persist in the good.”

* * *

Advice of the fifth line reads, “Limit yourself to small projects now. Know when to stop.” Over-reaching is tempting, but counterproductive. “Never hurry. Never rest.” When advice is heeded, the line changes to Return.

After a period of frustration, you now RETURN to begin a new cycle. Remain thoughtful. Use the time of return to free yourself from old patterns of behavior which have brought failure in the past. New paths for growth will open up. Enjoy each stage of the cycle. Avoid impatience.

“Slow and steady wins the race that matters.”

* * *

Advice of the sixth line reads, “Today no actions will work out. Stay home. Keep still.” From personal history, I can speak to the power of this advice. Once I had a bad feeling about going to a job interview. Friends ridiculed this and said to go out in the snow. So I did. My car slid into a ditch. In the process of towing me, they punctured the radiator. Not going anywhere that day. Bottom line: Listen to your hunches.

When the advice is heeded, paradoxically, the line changes to GAIN.

GAINS can be made after analyzing the situation correctly. When a person’s life goals are kept firmly in mind, no time is wasted. A way can be found to use whatever resources are at hand to serve one’s purpose. Serving others can be compatible with personal gain. Avoid smug self-satisfaction.

There’s wisdom in staying out of trouble, surviving to fight and prevail on another, better day.
“Sheltering in place” takes on new meaning in the context of the Passover in Exodus, when the Angel of Death was set loose upon the land, sparing only the protected faithful.

* * *

BREAKTHROUGH is the final hexagram formed when the changes of the top three lines are combined. It reads:

Further progress will not come about without a major BREAKTHROUGH. Get free of binding tensions. If you find the present situation paralyzing, get out of it. Be fearless. Act energetically. You can rebuild later using the aspects of your life that prove themselves to be worth saving. Avoid backing down.

Progress referred to here is not of the tainted, “progressive” sort, but closer to forward movement in a genuinely positive direction. Again, this will take time. It is a process not necessarily quick or easy, but well worth your commitment and effort.

The four apocalyptic horsemen, Plague, Famine, War and Death are bearing down upon upon the world. Is that what it will take to finally get our attention, motivate us as a matter of survival to change the way we think and act?

Make no mistake. Escalating COVID, food shortages, civil and global wars are looming. Barring inspired leadership and loyal support from worthy followers, we’re in far deeper trouble than most of us could have imagined a year ago.

If this serves to give you perspective and hope, please help me help others by sharing this information with your friends.

Collected posts will be published as The Lessons of 2020: Using the Wisdom of CHANGE to Build a Better Future. Look for it on amazon in January of 2021.

If you’d like a copy of the Common Sense Book of Change, or extras to give others, click here.

To order Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change, click here.

Okay, then. That’s all for now. Talk with you again soon. Take care, all.

The Only Way Out Is Through – IC – 123120

On December 30th, year-of-our-Lord 2020, I listened to WarRoom Pandemic host Stephen K. Bannon and guest Roger Kimball opine on the late Andrew Breitbart’s words: “Culture is downstream from politics.”

WOW. I must differ.

They may be correct – as far as it goes. But, importantly, there’s more. Interacting culture and politics both vary with the flux and flow of events on the ephemeral surface of the Life Wheel. Together, they’re offshoots of something deeper – a fundamental paradigm.

Deeper still, archetypal ideas emanate from the Center of the Life Wheel. They depend on the silent Source from which ideas arise and civilizations then follow.

It’s a jigsaw puzzle of interlocking wheels-within-wheels, with a center piece that holds the entire picture together.

Steve introduced Roger as (among others things) President of Encounter Books, publisher of books on immanent threats throughout the world. Again, there’s more.

The greatest threat – the one which drives economic/political conflict – is the limited, fragmenting, nihilistic paradigm of empirical science. So long as the underlying paradigm is corrupt and corrupting, operating invisible and uncorrected, efforts to improve matters on the surface are futile.

Yes, in the case of America, restoring fidelity to the Constitution and rule of human law is NECESSARY. But it’s not sufficient. Deeper still, we have to restore a living, breathing understanding of Natural Law and, deeper still of Divine Law. After all, the Founders saw human law in the context of the laws of nature and nature’s God.

As an unfortunate fact of history, wisdom traditions, both East and West, are subject to entropy. Over time, the religious institutions of Judaeo-Christian culture – however noble at the core – have been infiltrated and egregiously abused to political ends.

For example, Elsworth Carlson, a family friend and my professor of Asian history at Oberlin College, wrote about his experience as a missionary in Shansi, China. Stranded there during War II, he came to appreciate the nobility of their culture. The one-sided attitude of his peers appalled him. They assumed Western culture was the only correct one. They therefore had a duty to impose it on a distant land which they neither understood nor appreciated.

No wonder Westerners were hated by the ruling classes. They despised not so much the culture, mind you, but the heavy-handed, violent way in which it was superimposed on countries across the globe. Today, from some combination of pride and revenge, Asian political leaders are following historical example, intent on turning the tables.

Fortunately, political-cultural warfare is superficial. Deeper than deep, people worldwide are waking up to the values they share in common – freedom, love of life, of family, of God. And that is bringing the best of us together. A shared, complete and correct paradigm will speed the process of cooperative agreements.

In Rethinking Survival, I quoted comparative religion legend Joseph Campbell:

We don’t have a mythology for people recognizing the humanity of a person on the other side of the hemisphere. I’ve often wondered if some of the notions coming out of quantum physics, quantum interconnectedness, don’t express that.

The Quantum Paradigm answers that call. It is:

. . . an inclusive reality map, one people worldwide can easily comprehend and agree upon. It is equally compatible with scriptures and science, bridging the gap between them. It fulfills Einstein’s intuited search for the Unified Field Theory, picturing how all parts of creation are related, interwoven and interdependent.

Truth by definition is universal — eternally One and the same. All wisdom traditions are cultural expressions of the same, eternal Core, whether you call it Creator, Source, God, Great Father, Tao, Allah. . . or nothing at all.

Cultures are “great” to the extent they’re in alignment with the Center, the Source of greatness. Its expressions differ over time and by place. Their limitations are a function of (perhaps) inevitable corruption.

Fortunately, 2021 is offering humanity the opportunity to go deeper than surface differences. Today’s Fresh Start I Ching reading is perfectly timed for the New Year. It’s the beginning of the great Reset foreseen by those who watch the heavens (a term which the dark side can’t get away with co-opting in a futile attempt to bend the positive arc of history).

So. Yes, We’re in for a global Reset. It won’t happen overnight. Or in month. Or even year. A generation is more like it. But it starts NOW, with each of us, one person at a time, and from the inside out. The energies of the times are changing. We are becoming more aware. Not just of the political-cultural scene, but of the inner landscape which drives it.

The year 2021 promises to be rough, though different from 2020. The process of exposing the corruption of the old order will continue. But the clash between paradigms will intensify, imposing new hardships. Positive change doesn’t come easy. As Kuhn wrote in his classic work on paradigm shifts, entrenched power-holders with vested interests in obsolete ways will fight change however they can.

In particular, January of 2021 promises to be fraught with geographical and political events of explosive intensity. A heads up: astrological markings of January 20th, inauguration day, are strikingly similar to the date of the catastrophic 1916 San Francisco earthquake.

In sum, the year-of-our-Lord 2021 promises to be a roller-coaster ride. So buckle up. There’s no turning back. The only way out is through.

Take comfort in this. Come what may, those supported by wisdom traditions will meet our new set of challenges with the Phoenix Response, dying to be reborn better than before in the same lifetime.

We’re not taught to look to the Book of Change, the compendium of Natural Law, for answers. That’s why I’ve brought the book to you. Through the end of 2020, bi-weekly posts were intended make what was once unfamiliar now familiar.

TRAVEL is the initial answer to the question, “What should we be aware of on New Year’s Eve as we enter 2021?” It reads:

When you have outgrown a situation, it is time to TRAVEL on. Staying longer would prevent attainment of important goals. Commitments made now probably would not work out. In dealing with strangers exercise careful self-control. Talk little. Listen much. Learn from everyone who has information to share. Avoid dangerous exposure.

Most of us are glad to be done with a painfully challenging year. No looking back. However, it will be important to stay on high alert. More challenges lie ahead.

* * *

Advice of the fourth line reads, “Enjoy the process of growing day by day. Don’t rush.”

The future promises to be full of surprising twists and turns. Rather than try to second guess, don’t get ahead of yourself. Make the best of each day as it comes. Remain flexible.

When this advice is heeded the line changes to Stillness:

Peace within and harmony without come from STILLNESS. When immediate answers to important questions cannot be found, sometimes keeping still is the best way out. Burning desires produce chaotic thinking. This only clouds the issue and makes life painful. Meditation is a valuable method for finding stillness. Avoid useless activity.

During times of conflict and tension, inner balance must be restored with periods of quiet self-care. Conserve energy. Maintain inner focus and mental clarity. Don’t be distracted from purpose.

* * *

Advice of line five reads, “In a new situation, find the right way to make introductions.”

As we continue to forward into unknown territory, it’s important to continuously assess the situation and adjust quickly. Remember General Flynn’s comments. The Founders knew this country was an experiment. Of necessity, it must evolve. So keep an open mind. Look for new ways to accomplish worthy goals.

When this advice is heeded, it changes to Retreat:

RETREAT from negative forces which will begin to arise. Withdraw gracefully if possible. By doing this you can avoid embarrassment and thus pave the way for a safe and easy return when the time is right. Make careful arrangements to protect yourself from harm. Avoid becoming caught in hopeless situations.

Again, explosive events and hardships lie ahead. To the extent possible, stay out of harms way. Don’t provoke danger unnecessarily. Don’t engage in losing battles.

* * *

Following the advice of the original reading (avoid dangerous exposure) along with the advice of both changing lines (avoid useless activity; don’t get caught in hopeless situations) leads to the final, composite result — a Fresh Start. It reads:

Even when it seems that all has been spoiled, it is possible to make a FRESH START. Be willing to face your faults. Find out how to correct them. The situation will gradually improve if you are sincere and work hard. Be sure you know what you want. Avoid delay.

This final reading of 2020 reinforces the earlier theme of correcting mistakes and at-one-ment. No one said it would be easy. But keep the faith. It’s worth it.

Collected posts will be published as The Lessons of 2020: Using the Wisdom of CHANGE to Build a Better Future. Look for it on amazon in January of 2021.

If you’d like a copy of the Common Sense Book of Change, or extras to give others, click here.

To order Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change, click here.

Okay, then. That’s all for now. Take care, all.

Born For Such A Time As This – IC – 122420

It is said we each choose the time of our birth. We come here for a purpose with a mission to fulfill. In the Bible, for example, Queen Esther’s courageous defense of her people, risking her life to rescue them from destruction, was inspired by sage advice. “. . . who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

A brilliant commentary on this passage expands on her uncle’s words, making them relevant to each one of us, here and now:

So why did you choose to be here for 2020’s challenges? What is your mission at Christmas time’s blessed reminder of hope, overshadowed by a crisis that threatens everything George Washington and his soldiers fought for as they crossed the Delaware River in the shadow of night on Christmas Eve.

Why am I still here? In Be An Instrument of Light, I offered the answer that works for me. It started with choosing to spend every last cent in my pocket to purchase a small lamp that seemed meant for me:

I liked the guitar motif, but didn’t get the hidden message for quite a while. Then, Click! I should have known. Being a string player, it was tailor-meant for me.

During my musician-yoga years, I’d actually outlined a book, The Body as Instrument: How To Tune It. Did you know that string instruments are modeled on human anatomy? They vibrate the same way we do, which explains our resonance with music. . .

In essence, my guitar lamp was an answer to unspoken doubts about writing, confirming the call to “be an instrument of light.”

Now, let’s look further. Why do you suppose Donald J. Trump, our duly elected President, is in place right now? In a recent interview, the honorable Lin Wood describes the immediate constitutional crisis in exactly the words I’ve used to describe 2020. The nation is fragmented. We’re being “torn apart.” We’re at a crossroads. Wood believes our President is the God-appointed leader qualified to meet the challenge, born for such a time as this.

Putting things in perspective, in the repeating cycles of time, this is not the first time around the historical clock. In the introduction to Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change, I wrote:

In Passage 18, Lao Tze echoes the Bhagavad Gita’s premise, confirming the widely-held belief that from time to time, at the nadir of historical cycles, God incarnates in varying places and in different forms, for the instruction and deliverance of troubled truth seekers:

On a smaller scale, closer to home, each of us has the potential to be a hero in some respect, if only by becoming victorious over one’s own negative emotions, overcoming one’s doubts and finding the courage to do what is right.

In accord with timeless wisdom traditions, our President is demonstrating the courage to choose moderation over civil war. He’s shown the wisdom to forgive unjustly harassed citizens at this blessed time of year. Lao Tze had words for such leadership:

On Christmas Eve 2020, the night celebrated as the birth of humanity’s renewed hope, let’s draw the lines clearly. In the US, it’s not about Democrats versus Republicans, nor is it about Americans versus Chinese, Russians, or any of their allies. It’s between freedom and slavery, between lovers of Truth versus treacherous slaves of the dark side. It’s between the Republic and what it stands for versus global communism and all it represents.

President Trump, who honors and serves Christ, is behaving like an epic Taoist master. Walking the tense tightrope of moderation, he’s doing what’s right to both preserve the Republic and avert the bloody, self-destructive civil war our enemies would salivate to oversee.

Wayne Allyn Root has just published a book of praise called Trump Rules: Learn the Trump Rules and Tools of Mega Success and Wealth From the Greatest Warrior and Winner in History! It’s an excellent idea — as far as it goes. But our President’s greatness goes far deeper.

For example, celebrated constitutional scholar John Yoo argues persuasively that the President, with the insight of an historian, is the Constitution’s Defender in Chief.

Yes, he’s fighting to win, but with the fewest physical casualties possible. He’s steering a steady course with the hope of preserving peace and unity, not grasping for personal power. He’s a genius, allowing true patriots come forward and take a stand, while giving sell-out cowards time to show their hands.

FORGIVENESS is the original answer to the question, “What should we be aware of on Christmas Eve of 2020?” It reads:

Through FORGIVENESS, old debts are canceled and harmony is restored. Free yourself from outgrown habits. Don’t be afraid to let go of the past. Releasing tensions will produce health. Mental blocks will be resolved. New clarity of vision will lead to important decisions. Peace of mind will follow. Avoid anxiousness.

Each sentence of this reading is a gem, worthy of a self-standing blog. It applies perfectly to the Christmas message, to 2020’s crisis as an opportunity release past mistakes, and to our hope for a better New Year.

* * *

Advice of Line 5 reads, “Respect from others must be earned. Right actions give self-confidence.”

Neither a bully nor a victim be. Others respect us when we demonstrate the self-respect to stand our ground. This applies equally to personal and political situations. However intimidating terrorist threats may be, acting in spite of fear and choosing to do what is right is the ultimate confidence builder.

When our actions demonstrate that we honor this advice, the line changes to:

ADVERSITY is a test of fortitude. When it cannot be prevented, the wisest response is acceptance. Use times of hardship as opportunities to strengthen character and focus on inner resources. Misunderstandings are likely to occur. Remain calm, take care of yourself and support those who depend on you. Avoid despair.

Again, each line is worthy of careful attention. In sum, the darkest depths of winter is a time of reversals. “Sages know that when critical mass is reached, regeneration is possible.” A light in the night sky appears.

But redemption is not instant. Christ was born when the priesthood of the temple was deeply corrupted. We are again at such a point in time. The potential of restoration has appeared. Perhaps we have been born in such a time as this to fulfill its promise.

Collected posts will be published as The Lessons of 2020: Using the Wisdom of CHANGE to Build a Better Future. Look for it on amazon in January of 2021.

If you’d like a copy of the Common Sense Book of Change, or extras to give others, click here.

To order Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change, click here.

Okay, then. That’s all for now. Talk with you again soon. Take care, all.

The Great Reset Starts Today – IC – 122120

Can it be coincidence that, hosting the Student Action Summit – Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk speaks of a Reset? Is he aware that, according to astrologers, today’s winter solstice marks the long-heralded Cosmic Reset of the Ages as Jupiter and Capricorn simultaneously join and together exit heavy-handed Capricorn to enter into the radically different, enlightened sign of Aquarius?

Does it matter? Either way, Charlie, his generation and those who support them are perfectly in synch with the incoming wave of a positive, better future.

Often, I don’t know until “day of” what the content of a post will be. Lessons of 2020 is writing itself, one day at a time. I’m just an observer, a humble instrument, waiting for messages to come through. Saturday the 19th was no exception.

I “just happened” to randomly click on the the event just in time to hear Charlie’s opening comments. As I listened to presenters, I took notes to quote them here. They voiced exactly the same messages that China’s Lao Tze gave the world centuries ago during an earlier Fourth Turning. As coincidence would have it, Passage 54 was the pre-planned content scheduled as commentary on today’s I Ching reading.

Here are a few samples, spoken as if taken directly from my earlier posts.

  • Sara Carter: We are at a crossroads, a turning point. We have a choice.
  • Kristi Noem: America is not about fear. It is about hope for the future.
  • Tucker Carlson: Never betray your conscience. Be true God, yourself and the ones you love. You are still in charge of what is going on in your head and with the people you love. . . Corporate overlords are fundamentally at war with nature. This system has run its course.
  • Jeff Meyers: Universities are misleading students with three counterfeit maps of reality: Marxism, secularism, and post-modernism. The first blames wealth, the second religions, and the third truth seekers.
  • Mike Lindell:Learn from your mistakes. It will get you where you need to go.
  • Dinesh D’Souza: Ally wisdom with courage and deep faith and we become invincible.

Speakers spanning several generations all honored Charlie’s audience as custodians of the future, recognizing challenges to be overcome. I’ve long agreed. For example, because it speaks volumes, I quote the dedication to Two Sides: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change:

DEDICATION

The 2014 edition of Two Sides is dedicated to the Millennial Generation. Though it may seem as if they’ve been economically disenfranchised by their elders, material misfortune on the surface of the Life Wheel contains within it the hidden seeds of humanity’s long-term survival.

Ours isn’t the first time in the repeating cycles of history that leaders have squandered national resources. But in the context of Lao Tze’s larger reality, material resources aren’t that significant when compared to the intelligence, inner strength and inexhaustible vitality available to those whom circumstances oblige to return to the less tangible but very real levels of inner experience.

Millennials are the ones for whom the results of the materialistic, conflict-paradigm are so catastrophic that they have no vested interests to protect. They’re the ones prepared to move forward once again into the past, recovering the timeless treasure of the Quantum Paradigm buried deep within the Tao Te Ching’s wisdom.

They’ve been given the greater opportunity to dig deep, rediscover their inalienable inner resources and become the truly radical agents of substantive, positive change.

Also, because it speaks volumes, I offer one of the 81 passages for your careful, thoughtful attention.

We’re not taught to look to the Book of Change for answers to our deepest questions. That’s why I’m bringing the book to you. Through the end of 2020, bi-weekly posts are intended make what was once unfamiliar now familiar.

STILLNESS is the original answer to today’s question, “What should we be aware of NOW?” It reads:

Peace within and harmony without come from STILLNESS. When immediate answers to important questions cannot be found, sometimes keeping still is the best way out. Burning desires produce chaotic thinking. This only clouds the issue and makes life painful. Meditation is a valuable method for finding stillness. Avoid useless activity.

While SAS celebrates the potential of millennial leaders, the outside world remains in chaos. At the lowest-ebb of 2020, it’s important restore the balance of inner quiet.

Advice of the 2nd line reads, “If you have acted out of turn, unhappiness will follow.”

“Out of turn?” I hear you ask. “How so?”

On many levels. In the world, prematurely certifying blatantly, defiantly corrupted election results would end in widespread misery. Whether the U.S. Republic stands or falls depends on our combined wisdom, courage and faith to right egregious theft before it’s too late.

On a deeper level, people persist in seeking peace in the wrong place, in the wrong ways. Looking for it on the ever-changing surface of the Life Wheel is futile. As Lao Tze told us thousands of years ago, lasting peace starts only from within, and one person at a time. It radiates outwards with a ripple effect, first influencing close relationships, then communities, spreading to countries and then the world.

Only when one operates from a complete, accurate reality map that shows where peace begins and how it radiates from Center to the surface does the line change, making a Fresh Start leading to a better future possible:

Even when it seems that all has been spoiled, it is possible to make a FRESH START. Be willing to face your faults. Find out how to correct them. The situation will gradually improve if you are sincere and work hard. Be sure you know what you want. Avoid delay.

It’s now or never. Our endangered Republic will be rescued, redeemed, healed and restored NOW or not at all. AVOID DELAY.

Whatever comes to pass, a better future begins with committing on a personal level to achieving self-mastery. It’s the first, necessary step we can take today as the best, in fact only insurance we can have for prevailing in the face the unknowns which lie ahead.

WHAT IF, God forbid, the grid went down? WHAT IF there were no connection with endless information streaming over toxic 5G? WHAT IF you couldn’t hear the encouraging words of SAS speakers each in their own way confirming what Lao Tze taught at an earlier Fourth Turning, or what the text he worked with, the Book of Change, advises?

I know what I would choose to have close by. It would be the Book of Change itself, serving to reconnect me with angelic realms and Source, confirming the wisdom of my True Self, linking the eternal with the immediate circumstances I face, day in and out. Amen.

If this resonates, please like, share and magnify the benefit of the Reset message.

Collected posts will be published as The Lessons of 2020: Using the Wisdom of CHANGE to Build a Better Future. Look for it on amazon in January of 2021.

If you’d like a copy of the Common Sense Book of Change, or extras to give others, click here.

To order Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change, click here.

Okay, then. That’s all for now. Talk with you again soon. Take care, all.